Sleeping with Ghosts
by purduepup
Summary: ONE-SHOT, AU. "Soul mates never die." Fate is a storm no man can defeat, and destiny cannot be changed. Nonetheless, on his deathbed, Inuyasha and Kagome lie determined not to sever with each other, their true loves, even if they must face death itself.


_Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha (he's Rumiko's) or the title (that's Placebo's)._

_A/N: You have permission to listen to Placebo's _amazing_ music, and you also have permission to shoot me for not updating. But sadly, I can't help it; depression's a bitch. :/ For a full-detailed essay on why I haven't updated, look at my profile. If you don't care, here's my newest one-shot. XP_

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Hush  
It's okay  
Dry your eye  
Dry your eye  
Soul mate, dry your eye  
Dry your eye  
Soul mate, dry your eye  
'Cause soul mates never die…

—_Placebo_

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Sleeping with Ghosts

_One-Shot_

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_"Inuyasha?"_

_"__Uh-huh?"_

They were a beautiful flame, her mother once said, burning bright against the expectancies of time and physics. The two of them combined were made for each other, neither one's existence complete without the other. Mates were beings thought to be mythical, two halves of one soul calling forth into collision that cause clashes of harmony and metaphors delight. In sync and with no cracks along their surface of a scratched frame, Kagome and Inuyasha were bound by an invisible red string since the moment their eyes met.

How close that string came to snapping, they'd never know.

_"Will you always love me?"_

_"__Always. It's not even questionable."_

They crossed paths at the tender age of fifteen, their eyes meeting on the street and instantly rooting them to the sidewalk. It was a cloudy day with hints of light, and they were the weather they stood in. The two were night and day, the moon and the sun, a collection of gems ranging from sapphire and topaz to cobalt and amber, and soon enough, she approached him and asked for his company, and he willingly gave it to her despite his previous arrangements with his friends.

That day sealed their fates.

_"Do you promise to never leave me, even through death?"_

_"__I promise."_

He was a liar in many ways, she'd grown to learn, and as she held his sickening pale and chilling palm within her own, she wonder how much longer he could speak no truths, how many more minutes it would take for him to come undone. He remained silent, lips thinned and chapped as they trembled, his ocher gaze following her to the window, where they stared at nothing particular, and merely speculated in their own thoughts.

Right now would be his last time to tell the truth.

_"To stay with me forever?"_

_"__Even when I die."_

He never thought he'd die. It was bound to happen because it was the natural order of things, but at such a young year, especially when he lied stiff on the hospital bed at the age of nineteen? He didn't expect to leave so early, to move onto his final resting place so quickly during his existence. Many years of his life were wasted, could have been used for something better, more worthwhile. Yet he stayed with her, even through her silence and fake smiles, believing his other half to erase his void and consume his being, better his chance at survival, though it would undoubtedly bring his demise.

He wanted nothing more than to keep her by his side.

_"…You won't die."_

_"__We all do, Kagome. It's the way things work."_

She wanted nothing more than a happy ending, a prince on a horse, a knight in shining armor with the tights and sword to match. She wished for a fairytale, something to make her smile and believe in something beyond this, and yet what she received was a lover's worst nightmare come true. He'd known, not told her, though he kept her safe at all times, insisting they wait until marriage and "save the best for last". However, she could no longer wait, for his time in this world became limited. After all, he had known since birth he would die of AIDS.

He just hadn't known when or whom with.

_"_No, _Inuyasha—I won't _let _you go…!"_

_"__Then don't. Stay with me always, Kagome." _

The months she believed him, the years she stayed with him, once felt like they were ruins, but with his figure placid and thin, she felt she'd made the greatest accomplishment of her life. To meet the being whom she could smile through death with, to kiss the half who would never let go, and to cry with the man whose heart would be her demise. Her own grip on him weakening, her own lifeless eyes meeting his own, she herself realized that in the end, all of this struggle and pain was worth it, was worth knowing and loving him.

He had lied, she affirmed, stare drifting to the ceiling, but had she not spoken her falsehoods, too?

_"__I-_Inuyasha_, I…"_

_"__Do you promise to stay with me, even through death?"_

He stuttered something through his whitened lips, no doubt an apology for their turnout, but the heart-filled smile she sent him was enough to assure him for the last time, he'd been forgiven for his selfishness, that she indeed understood his reason even if she hadn't experienced it herself. While they waited for their end on the monitors nearby, they drifted towards each others' embrace on the combined beds, their sadness and remorse overruled by a final absolution and touch as they tucked into each other for one last time.

The beeping on the monitors stopped.

_"_…_I promise."_

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_A/N: That was mega-depressing and probably stupid and too short with not enough information, but I felt the urge to post something, so I did. I'm not sure where the AIDS thing came from, since I was originally intending for them to kill each other (he be the one dying, she pulls the plug while he stabs her with her consent), but it kind of morphed into this, and I'm not sure how I feel about it. :/ To be honest, I wasn't even sure what to rate it... I mean, there's nothing inappropriate, just the mentioning of an STD (which might be "T"-worthy; I don't know), so what would the correct rating be? More depressing one-shots coming your way, I promise, and also expect updates from the stories stating so on my profile. Thanks for reading, and I wouldn't mind feedback. ^.^_


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